Spring Cleaning My Life

Well, can you believe it’s almost May? This fact feels kind of amazing to me. Summer is on its way! We have no idea what this summer will hold for us– will we get a new job? Move to another country? Take a trip back to the States? (Quite possibly all of the above, actually.) And even if none of those things happen, we will most likely need to move and make some adjustments for staying here another year. So in some ways, it’s crunch time.

As we prepare for whatever is next, I have felt the need to get some things squared away in my life. And that’s why May is going to be about spring cleaning my life. As I talk about in my book, it’s so important to take extra care of ourselves and our resources when we’re faced with transitions and challenging times. I want to have a strong body, a reasonably clear mind, good energy levels, and mental/ emotional equilibrium. There are a few things I’ll be doing to help with this, and I thought I’d share them with you, in case you are also feeling the need to do a little internal “spring cleaning.”

How I’m Spring Cleaning My Life

1. Spring cleaning my body. Our family lives very healthily and enjoys life. Jeff and I feel the freedom to indulge in food and drink without any guilt… But sometimes things can get a bit unbalanced. Too many glasses of homemade wine, too many affogatos and tahini cookies… Too much dependence on coffee. I have been getting some headaches lately, and not sleeping as well as I used to. My clothes feel tight. My energy levels are not steady through the day, and I just want to feel better than I do. So I need to take a little time to rebalance.

I am going to use the protocol in , starting tomorrow. I look forward to loosening my grip on my coffee mug and letting my liver rest and rejuvenate. I am feeling good about doing a little reset!

To help with this, I am also planning on eating lots of wild foods, starting with those in our back yard and continuing to bring more home from our foraging walks. I’m looking forward to sharing more about this with you!

2. Strengthening my body. I used to be fairly athletic, and I still consider myself reasonably active. But I have been feeling like my body just isn’t strong like I want it to be, and I am ready to do something about that. I believe that little things I do every day will make a big difference. So I am doing a few minutes of bodyweight exercises daily– I have set daily reminders on my phone, and it’s been going well so far! I’m also looking to join a yoga or pilates class this month.

3. Clearing my mind. I definitely believe in the power of meditation and other mindfulness practices. I have started working meditation into my work days this week, and it’s been great. I am looking forward to sharing the technique I use with you!

Now that the days are longer, we have been taking walks as a family in the early evenings. It’s so wonderful, and just refreshes my spirit– and we usually come home with some wild edibles. I am trying to make this a daily priority for my family.

4. Unplugging at night.  I have a problem. I spend too much time on the computer. In the morning, I do most of my work, because it’s when I’m most focused and creative. I am barely done with my list of things I’d like to accomplish by the time Jeff and Amelia get home. And then everyone in the USA wakes up and comes out to play, and so I spend a lot of time in the evenings on facebook and other social media– both for work and social reasons. And then when I wrap that up, Jeff and I want to relax and watch a show! TOO MUCH screen time!

So for the month of May, we’re unplugging at 8 p.m. on the weeknights. We’ll play cards, read books, talk, clean the house, and… uh, cuddle. I’m hoping that unplugging at night will improve my sleep, free up more time, and bring more relaxation and connection. (But I’ll miss chatting with you on facebook.)

I use my phone as an alarm clock, but I am going to find other means to wake up in the morning so that I don’t have my phone with me when I wake up. Although I always put it on “airplane mode” when I’m sleeping, I automatically check email when I wake up, and that’s just not a great practice to start the day.

5. Clearing out. My home environment definitely has an impact on my mental and emotional state. So I am going to be working on getting rid of things, and organizing a bit better. This is something I need to do anyway in preparation for a move in a few months. Opening up space in my home always makes me feel great. (Also, making money from things I don’t need.)

I also plan to drop any obligations that I don’t feel great about doing, or that just drain a lot of my energy. It’s a precious commodity!

6. Making space for what I love.  The first of May is also my first day to start doing bodywork again! I am so thrilled, because this is something I have missed and I feel passionate about helping women get back in touch with their bodies and facilitate healing through the bodywork I do.

Although I don’t really need to be taking on something new, I believe in doing what we love and feel called to do– just for the joy of it. Bodywork is one of those things I have felt I had to give up for a while, but when I saw an opportunity to do it again, I didn’t even hesitate. I believe that our passions make a way for us in the world, and doing them is rewarding on many levels. (And I’m pretty darned excited!)

So, these are the things on my list for a good month of rebalancing, strengthening and renewal. “They “say that you can drop bad habits and form new ones in 30 days, and I am looking forward to seeing what kinds of lasting changes I can make!
I thought it would be fun to share more wellness posts this month. Would you be interested in that? I am not a health blogger, but I’ll be happy if I can share some ideas that are helpful to you, plus it will make spring cleaning my life feel like more of a community event for me, which I’ll love.

What is something you regularly prioritize for your own wellness? I’d love to hear what you do (or what you’d like to do!)

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